Sheet delivery means



Octzo 1942' 'B1-4 SITES' SHEET DELIVERY MEANS 'ilgd sept. 9, 1940 v INYENIOR. Ee/yann nl'ee,

Patented Oct. 20, 1942 UNITED STATES AParllvr A'OFFICE SHEET DELIVERY MEANS Benjamin L. Sites, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Miehle Printing Press and Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application September 9, 1940, Serial N0. 355,978

13 Claims. (Cl. 271-74) This invention relates to sheet controlling means for use in delivery mechanisms on printing presses or the like, and it more particularly pertains to an improved air blast nozzle and the manner of arranging it with relation to sheets which are to be delivered. i

To apply air blasts which impinge onto the sheets while being delivered from a printing press, or from any other sheetvhandling machine, is not new in the art and many different arrangements of air blast devices have been suggested in the past for that purpose. However, according to such prior suggestions, the air blast was invariably directed onto the middle portion of a sheet or transverselyto the direction of travel of sheets to be delivered, causing the margins or corners of a sheet to curl up while the sheet floats down onto the delivery table, particularly so when light stock such as onion skin was handled. Such conditions must be avoided of course, especially when the sheets are being delivered at comparatively high rates of speed.

One of the primary objects of my invention therefore is the' provision of improved air blast means whereby the sheets while being delivered from a printing press or the like, shall be deposited onto the delivery table in a perfectly at condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel type of air blast nozzle whereby the width of the blast ejected therefrom shall be sharply dened so as to strike the sheet along a narrow, continuous linear area.

A further object resides in a novel manner of mounting and arranging a series of nozzles so that several air blasts may be directed onto a sheet simultaneously from different angles.

Still further objects and characteristic features of my invention will be apparent from the following specification and appended claims.

One preferred embodiment and mode of arranging the device of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, of which:

Figure 1 shows in side elevation an adjustable air blast nozzle mounted on its air pressure supply tube;

Figure 2 represents a nozzle in cross section taken along line II-II of Figure 1, yand it also shows a preferred mode of mounting :it on said tube;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the nozzle taken from the top of Figure 1;

lFigure 4 illustrates an end View of a series of nozzles arranged with relation to the delivery pile table of a printing press; and

Figure 5 is a side view of the same arrangement, showing the nozzles moved into diierent angular positions on said tube.

Referring now to said drawing, 'the air pressure supply tube I0, which is connected to the air system of the press in any suitable manner, is arranged to extend above and transversely of the delivery table II, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. A series of nozzles I2, preferably three, are

pivotally carried by the horizontal part of said tube. Each nozzle I2 consists of a hollow body portion which is bored to fit snugly onto the tube l0, see Figures 1, 2 and 3. Said body portion is provided with an air blast chamber I3 which opens into the bore I4 so as to register with the air duct I5 of the tube I.

The air outlet section of the nozzle preferably has a circular contour with a peripheral section or wall I6 which is formed with a series of radially extending air ducts Il through which the air is ejected and directed to diverge in a fanlike manner (see Figure 5) onto the sheets as they are being delivered fromy the sheet handling machine. These ducts, as will be seen from Figure 1, preferably extend over an angle of approximately 90 with respect to the pivot center of the nozzle. Thereby the air blast ejected therefrom covers a long area, which is substantially equal to the length of a maximum sheet to be delivered.

In order to limit the pivotal movement of adjustment of the nozzle about the tube I0, shoulders I8 are provided against which will abut a stop screw I9 threaded into the wall of the tube l0 and which screw, together with a screw 20, which bears against the shoulder 2| of the nozzle, also serves to prevent movement of the nozzle longitudinally of the tube IU.

By means of a spring pressed plunger 22 which is loosely retained within a boss 23, and the outer face 24 of which bears against the periphery of the tube I0, frictional engagement is maintained between the nozzle I2 and said tube so that the nozzle shall maintain its position into which it Vhas been moved circumferentially of said tube.

The pressure 0f the spring 25 may be conveniently adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 26 threaded into the boss 23.

I have found it of advantage to arrange three nozzles above the delivery table Il, so that narrow blasts of air will impinge in different planes onto the top face of an oncoming sheet S, namely one each, near its lateral margins, longitudinally of the sheet, and another to strike the sheet on a line extending along its middle portion, al1

said blasts of air extending in planes which are parallel to the direction of travel of the sheet as indicated in Figures 4 and 5. In the latter iigure, the three nozzles l2 are shown in different positions, one nozzle for instance directing a blast of air at an angle towards the oncoming sheet S, the second vertically onto the sheet and the third at an angle in the delivery direction of the sheet, so that the sheet, after it has been released by the delivery means, not shown, shall be urged against the delivery stop lingers 2l.

It will be understood of course that under certain conditions it might be desirable to use more than three blast nozzles, or, on the 4other hand, it could be of advantage to limit the number of nozzles to less than three. In the latter case, those nozzles that are not .required would be moved into a horizontal position such as I have indicated in broken lines in Figure l and in which position the supply of air pressure from the tube I will be shut oi.

With the novel air blast nozzles and their preferred arrangement disclosed herein, it is now possible to provide any desired combination of air blasts to impinge onto a sheet as it travels towards its station of delivery, resulting in a perfect control of the sheet at high delivery speeds.

The feature of adjusting the air blast to impinge onto a sheet from diierent angles could be used to advantage when sheets are handled which have a tendency to curl in a direction extending from one lateral margin to the other of the sheet, or longitudinally of thesheet.

It will be understood of course that the air pressure ejected from the blast nozzles may be adjustable in any suitable manner.

I claim:

1.v An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion adjustably mounted on an airpressure supply tube, means for frictionally holding the nozzle in different adjusted positions, an air chamber in communication with said tube and having a curved outer wall, and a plurality of radially extending air ducts passing through said wall and arranged in a single plane with respect to the periphery of the Wall to extend over an angle of approximately 90 thereto.

2. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion adjustably mounted on an air pressure supply tube and spring actuated means, carried by the nozzle for holding the nozzle in different adjusted positions, an air chamber in communication with said tube and having a curved outer Wall, and a plurality of radially extending air ductsl passing through said wall and arranged in a single plane with respect to the periphery of the wall to extend over an angle of approximately 90 thereto.

3. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion mounted on an air pressure supply tube to be pivoted about the axis of said tube into different operative positions, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the nozzle about said axis, an air chamber in communication with said tube and having an outer wall, and a plurality of air ducts passing through said wall and arranged in a single plane to extend over anangle of approximately 90 with respect to the pivot center of said body portion.

4. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion adjustably mounted on an air pressure supply tube, means for holding the nozzle in different adjusted positions, means for limiting the swinging movement of the nozzle about said tube and having a curved outer wall, and a plurality of radially extending air ducts passing through said wall and arranged in a single plane to extend over an angle of approximately 90 with respect to the periphery of the wall of the nozzle.

5. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion mounted on an air pressure supply tube, and adaptedl to be pivoted about the axis of said tube into different operative positions and into end positions, an air supply duct in said tube, an air chamber in communication with said duct and having an outer wall, and a plurality of air vducts passing through said wall and arranged in a single plane to extend over an angle of approximately 90 with respect to the pivot center of said body portion, the air supply to the nozzle from said supply duct being shut off when the nozzle is maintained in either one of its end positions.

6. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted on an air pressure supply tube, and an air chamber in communication with said tube and having an air outlet wall portion formed with a series of adjacent air ducts passing through said ,wall portion and located in a single plane to extend radially with vrespect to the pivot center of said body portion.

7. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted on an air pressure supply tube, and an air chamber in communication with said tube and having an air outlet wall portion formed with a series of adjacent air ducts passing through said wall portion and located in a single plane to extend radially with respect to the pivot center of said body portion over an angle of approximately 90.

8. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted on an air pressure supply tube, friction means for holding the nozzle in different adjusted positions on said tube, and an air chamber in communication with said tube and having an air outlet wall portion formed with a series of adjacent air ductsl passing through said wall portion and located in a single plane to extend radially with respect to the pivot center of said body portion.

9. An air blast nozzle having in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted on an air pressure supply tube, friction means for holding the nozzle in different adjusted positions on said tube, and an air chamber in communication withfr f said tube and having an air outlet wall portion formed with a series of adjacent air ducts passing through said wall portion and located in a single plane to extend radially with respect to the pivot center of said body portion over an A nozzles having an outer Iwall provided with airl ducts which extend radially with respect to the pivot center of the nozzle, and means permitting of independent, angular adjustment of each nozzle to selectively eject a blast of air in different directions towards a sheet to be deposited onto said table, the air being ejected from said nozzles axis, an air chamber in communication with said through said ducts to diverge in a' fan-like manner to impinge onto the sheet along a dened, continuous, narrow linear area at selected portions of the sheet and ^xtending parallel to the lateral margin thereof.

11. In sheet delivery mechanism, having in combination a'sheet receiving table and an air pressure supply tube arranged above said table, the provision of novel means including a plurality of air blast nozzles carried by said tube and pivotally mounted to be swung into different positions about the axis of said tube, each of said nozzles having an outer wall provided with air ducts which extend radially with respect t0 the pivot center of the nozzle, and means permitting of independent, angular adjustment of each nozzle to selectively eject a blast of air in diierent directions towards a sheet to be deposited onto said table, the air being ejected from said nozzles through said ducts to diverge in a ian-like manner to direct a blast of air onto the sheet along dened, continuous, narrow lines extending near each lateral margin and along a narrow line extending intermediate the lateral margins of the sheet.

12. In sheet delivery mechanism, having in combination a sheet receiving table, an air pressure supply tube arranged above said table, a plurality of air blast nozzles carried by said tube and pivotally mounted to be swung into diierent positions about the axis of said tube, each of said nozzles having an outer wall provided with air ducts which extend radially with respect to the pivot center oi the nozzle, means for selectively rendering any one of said nozzles ineffective, and means permitting of independent, angular adjustment of each nozzle to selectively eject a blast 0f air in different directions towards a sheet to be deposited onto said table, the air being ejected from said nozzles through said ducts to diverge in a fan-like manner to impinge onto the sheet along a dened, continuous, narrow linear area at selected portions of the sheet and extending parallel to the lateral margin thereof.

13. In sheet delivery mechanism, having in combination a sheet receiving table, an air pressure supply tube arranged above said table, a plurality of air blast nozzles carried by said tube and pivotally mounted to be swung into different positions about the axis of said tube, each of said nozzles having an outer wall provided with air ducts which extend radially with respect to the pivot center of the nozzle, means for selectively rendering any one of said nozzles ineffective, and friction means permitting of independent, angular adjustment of each nozzle to selectively eject a blast of air in different directions towards a sheet to be deposited onto said table, the air being ejected from said nozzles through said ducts to diverge in a fan-like manner to direct a blast o1' air onto the sheet along a defined, continuous, narrow line extending near each lateral margin and along a narrow line extending intermediate the lateral margin of the sheet.

BENJAMIN L. SITES. 

